-Uncategorized-

The World’s First Electric Monster Truck: Bigfoot No. 20

3 Comments

For some reason, this reminds me very much of my childhood days in the driveway with my remote control monster truck. Odyssey Battery, which is a subsidiary of Enersys,and Bigfoot teamed up to create the world’s first full-size electric monster truck, dubbed, creatively, Bigfoot No. 20. It may not have the ear-drum-shattering-power of your traditional Bigfoot or Gravedigger, but judging by the above video, it gets the job done crushing old Ford Tauruses (Tourusii?).

Here are the specs:

EnerSys, parent company of Odyssey Battery, supplied 36 drycell batteries (upgraded versions of a standard car battery) to provide juice to a specially designed motor that produces 350 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque – far less than the 1,000+ hp produced by today’s average monster truck. Instead of roaring to life, the electric Bigfoot No. 20 quietly whirs around the parking, which in the video makes it sound like a life-sized Power Wheels, before laying waste to a couple of down-and-out Ford Taurus sedans. Like the monster trucks you can see at just about any stadium around the country, this Bigfoot has tires that make crushing cars easy and four-wheel steering for better maneuverability. In all, the truck’s 36 batteries add an extra 1,375 pounds, and while the system includes on-board battery chargers, there is no word on how long such a job would take. – Autoblog


Press Release:
ODYSSEY® Battery BIGFOOT® No. 20 Monster Truck, World’s First Electric Monster Truck

READING, Pa. (Nov. 27, 2012) – ODYSSEY® battery by EnerSys, a primary sponsor of the 2012 BIGFOOT 4×4, Inc. monster truck team, provided ODYSSEY® batteries to power the world’s first electric monster truck: the ODYSSEY® Battery BIGFOOT® No. 20 Monster Truck.

Each of the 36 ODYSSEY® PC1200 batteries that power the ODYSSEY® Battery BIGFOOT® No. 20 Monster Truck weighs 38.2 pounds, but provides 1,200 five-second pulse hot cranking amps (PHCA), as well as 540 cold-cranking amps (CCA), 78 minutes of reserve capacity and 400 cycles of deep cycle capability at 80 percent depth of discharge (DOD).

The ODYSSEY® Battery BIGFOOT® No. 20 Monster Truck carries a custom-designed 2012 fiberglass body and includes a battery-powered electric motor, which was designed and built by Dennis Berube of Phoenix to wield 350 horsepower and 850 foot-pounds of torque. Three banks of 10 ODYSSEY® batteries power the engine for a total of 360 Volts. The additional six ODYSSEY® batteries power the brakes and steering systems. Other custom features include onboard battery chargers and variable-speed programmable speed controller.

“We’ve been sponsoring BIGFOOT® monster trucks for almost 10 years,” said Dave McMullen, director of commercial marketing for specialty and UPS markets at EnerSys®. “The punishing conditions of a monster truck race are a perfect demonstration of ODYSSEY® batteries at their rugged best. We are particularly excited to be part of the world’s first battery-powered monster truck, and are proud of BIGFOOT 4X4, Inc.’s confidence in our batteries that they play such a

“ODYSSEY® batteries have helped our team to win more than 20 monster truck championships,” said Jim Kramer, vice president of research, technology and driver development of BIGFOOT 4X4, Inc. “We’re happy to have ODYSSEY® batteries as a partner in the development of the ODYSSEY® Battery BIGFOOT® No. 20 Monster Truck. Developing a custom electric monster truck is part of our efforts to keep up with ever-changing technology. For now, the ODYSSEY® Battery BIGFOOT® No. 20 Monster Truck will be used in static displays and parades, but as we become more experienced with the electric power unit, battery maintenance, controller adjustments, drive lines and weather, our fans may just see it perform car crushes or even compete in monster truck shows.”

About EnerSys®
EnerSys®, the world leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures, distributes and services reserve power, motive power and starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries, chargers, power equipment, and battery accessories to customers worldwide. SLI batteries are used for trucks and buses, passenger cars, boats, personal watercraft, ATVs, motorcycles and garden tractors. The company also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers from more than 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world. For more information about EnerSys® and its ODYSSEY® batteries, visit www.enersys.com or www.ODYSSEYbattery.com.

About BIGFOOT 4×4, Inc.
Since its inception in 1975, BIGFOOT, The Original Monster Truck®, has gone on to achieve worldwide notoriety, and spawned an entire family of BIGFOOT monster trucks that have pioneered the growth of the monster truck industry. Created by St. Louis-area contractor Bob Chandler and his wife Marilyn in 1975 as a promotional tool for their Midwest Four Wheel Drive business, the BIGFOOT fleet has captured 29 National Championships, set numerous world records for monster trucks, and travelled to more than 26 countries. In 2009, BIGFOOT was named one of the “Top 5 Marketing Vehicles of All Time.” Since 1975, more than 20 BIGFOOT vehicles have been constructed, and today the team campaigns seven (soon to be nine) BIGFOOT monster trucks full-time in North America, in addition to one based full-time in England. The team achieves in excess of 4 million live impressions each year and will have over 800 appearance days in 2012 with more expected in 2013. Over half-a-million BIGFOOT toys are sold every year. Visit the team online at www.bigfoot4x4.com

Model S, Tesla Motors

Tesla’s Fast Charging Stations: Game Changer or Fast Path to Bankruptcy?

13 Comments


Earlier this year, Elon Musk announced his plan to build solar powered, fast charging stations across America, available to Tesla Model S owners to use for free. A lot of my colleagues were very excited about this prospective announcement. To me, it seems downright impossible: high fixed capital costs, and no revenue from the stations.  Additionally, these charging stations aren’t even compatible with Tesla’s other model, the Roadster, and you can forget about cross manufacturer compatibility.  Solar panels are not just plug and play either, they require maintenance and cleaning if you want them to perform up to their specified manufacturer standards of efficiency.

Even if the solar panels operate at optimal efficiency, the fast chargers will draw more power than the solar panels can produce at one time, so unless Tesla has on-site electricity storage, the company will have to buy electricity at a higher rate than they can sell back to the grid.

Another challenge is the fact that utilities will often charge a hefty “demand charge” per month because of the high load these chargers can put on the grid, says Arindam Maitra, a senior project manager at the Electric Power Research Institute. Fast charger owners will have to pay that fee even if no one uses the station. At least one DC fast-charging system charges $7 per charge, which is more expensive than buying gasoline for the equivalent range in a conventional car. –Technologyreview.com

Despite the economic pitfalls, Tesla charged on this year.  They built 6 charging stations in SoCal and have already begun their electric corridor in the northeast.  The station pictured at the top is in Milford, Conn.  Whether anyone has actually used it for its purpose remains to be seen.  These stations will charge between 4 to 6 cars and the initial capital investment ranges from $100,000 to $250,000 This could be a substantial financial liability for Tesla, which has already announced that it needs to raise more money to keep operating. When you think about the infinitesimal amount of people that actually own the Model S currently, and then they have to be driving on that specific route, the logic seems ridiculous.  Yet they are still building charging stations, and they need to sell a lot more cars for this plan to be remotely logical or we will get another Solyndra ordeal.  Project Better Place seems to be turning in a bad direction in the final quarter of 2012, asking for emergency funding from investors and laying off hundreds of employees.

Fast charging is a great idea in theory. You can drive a few hours, stop, have lunch or stretch your legs and browse a shop, then get back on the road. Existing rest stops and commercial centers will see the value in drawing electric vehicle owners to their area for 30 minutes. Drivers can plug their car in for free, and businesses can lure in generally higher income patrons that buy electric vehicles. There is a possible business model to building fast charging stations that provide free or cheap electricity. However, that is not Tesla’s business model. They hope to increase the value  a very expensive car by creating a free charging infrastructure for one specific model.

I just don’t think this type of widespread endeavor can possibly work, given that only one luxury model is compatible, and given that Tesla will not receive revenue to sustain the service.  Provide me one example of a capital intensive, widespread, exclusive, free service that has worked in America. But this is what Elon Musk does: he creates things before we appear to need it (PayPal, SpaceX). I would like to be proven wrong. So if Elon or anyone has a brilliant defense of the plan, please feel free to discuss in the comments

Sources:

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/429348/teslas-fast-chargers-could-be-a-financial-liability/

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/21/tesla-begins-east-cost-fast-charging-corridor/

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429283/will-fast-charging-make-electric-vehicles-practical/

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1081336_teslas-supercharger-fast-chargers-spread-to-east-coast

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1079383_tesla-supercharger-fast-charging-system-has-landed

-Uncategorized-

The Road of the Future

Leave a comment

We spend a lot of time here at OnElectricCars.com talking about the innovations of the vehicles on the road, but we neglect to mention what is happening in the pavement itself.  If electric vehicles become more mainstream, there will be numerous opportunities to change the way we drive and fuel up.  Could the road charge itself up with photovoltaics or solar-thermal and recharge moving electric vehicles through induction?  Could intelligent networks drive our cars across the country for us? The infographic below indicates these crazy ideas are possible, and even being tested around the world right now:

The Road to the Future
The Road to the Future – created by the team at Car Loan 4U

Infographic tags:
the road of the future pavement technology roadway technology recycled plastic road eco-pave dynamic paint road glow in the dark road markings antique electric car wind powered lights wireless electric vehicle charging inductive power transfer solar roads solar panel roads solar powered car piezoelectric energy roads intelligent highways

Venturi America

On the Venturi America

4 Comments

Many people think Tesla made the first production electric sports car in 2008, with the Tesla Roadster. However, Venturi Automobiles had been shipping the Venturi Fetish to well endowed customers since 2006. Then then there  was the Venturi Volage, an awesome tetra-motored electric  supercar concept that should be available soon. The French automotive company’s latest electric experiment is ironically dubbed the Venturi America. Ironic because, Venturi says is only making 100 of these door-less electric enduro cars, but despite its name, none of them are to be sold in the U.S.

Venturi calls the America a “high-riding sports car,” and on paper, we’re willing to agree on both counts based on the car’s looks and its specs. The styling of the America is what we might imagine a collaboration between Smart and Jeep, with the two-passenger car looking every bit the part of a modern street-legal dune buggy, right down to its ample ground clearance and open cockpit design. In terms of its performance, the Venturi-developed electric powertrain is said to produce 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which is pretty great for a 3,100-pound car. There are also three driver-selectable modes (Cruising, Sport and Super Sport), so the car’s dynamic settings allow the driver to choose between maximum driving range and maximum performance. Powered by a 53 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery, the America has a driving a range of around 186 miles (presumably in Cruising mode) with a top speed of 124 miles per hour. -Autoblog

Here is a video of the America in action in Venturi’s latest advertisement:

Skoda Octavia Green E Line

On the Skoda Octavia Green E Line

Leave a comment

We’ve never mentioned the Czech Automaker, Skoda, before on this site, but there is a first time for everything.  Skoda is a fully owned subsidiary of Volkswagen. They currently manufactures the Skoda Octavia Green-tec model, which achieves 35 MPG from its 4 cylinder intercooled, turbocharged engine.  The Czech company is in the process of enhancing its status as a fuel efficient automaker by testing the Skoda Octavia Green E Line electric concept car in the Czech Republic government.  The electric vehicle technology will be available in mass  production as the Skoda Octavia Combi in 2014.  Below is a video of a test run with the concept:

Skoda is currently testing an electric fleet of vehicles based on the Skoda Octavia Combi because its modular design allows for easy installation of the lithium ion 26.5 kWh, 180 cell battery pack, electronic control unit, and the electric engine with its constant power of 60 kW and max power of 85 kW. The electric vehicle provides immediate, maximum torque of 270 Nm,  which gives the car enough power for sharp acceleration and a good amount of agility and responsiveness, which the driver will appreciate mainly in busy city traffic. The Octavia Green E Line accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in twelve seconds, and the car’s maximum speed is limited to 135 km/h.

Recently, the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade have begun deployment of the Skoda Octavia Green E Line test fleet.  This is the second Czech ministry to do so, after the Ministry of the Environment adopted a fleet of the electric vehicles.  The ministries use the Green E Lines for official trips of up to 150 km.

Skoda explains its recent strategy in a statement from their website:

ŠKODA’s activities in the field of electric mobility are an important element of its broad-based drive and fuel strategy. This includes is continuous refinement of its highly efficient TDI and TSI engines, for which ŠKODA AUTO is currently building a new power plant testing centre in Mladá Boleslav, which will also serve for testing drives using different fuel varieties.

-Hybrids-

The Facts About Hybrid Cars

2 Comments

For those who have never read about them or looked into buying one, hybrid cars remain a bit of a mystery. Generally, people are aware that hybrid cars run with electricity, and that they provide excellent gas mileage and are better for the environment than ordinary cars. However, these facts fail to address the true details and functions of hybrid cars. To better understand the significance of hybrids, here are three must-know facts.

1. Hybrids Still Use Gasoline

Though the word “hybrid” itself implies a combination of functions, many people are still under the false impression that hybrid cars are the same as electric cars. In fact, however, hybrid cars still do use gasoline, in addition to rechargeable batteries. The combination of these different factors does lead to increased efficiency and reduced fuel emissions. In fact, many hybrids give you up to 50-60 miles per gallon, and a single rechargeable battery can last you about 100,000 miles. However, it is important to remember that some gasoline is still involved.

2. Batteries Recharge During Use

When most people hear the phrase “rechargeable battery” they instantly picture plugs and cords. However, hybrid cars do not recharge their batteries this way – once again, the idea of plugs is a misconception that is meant instead to apply to electric cars. Hybrids instead recharge through their own operation. Typically, when you use your brakes, your car automatically replenishes electric power in your battery, meaning that you are actively recharging your battery even as you drive. Batteries won’t last forever this way, but as mentioned previously they can often give you up to 100,000 miles before needing replacement.

3. Efficiency Does Not Sacrifice Power

While it is true that some of the older models of hybrid cars, and some of the cheaper versions that remain on the market, can sacrifice some degree of power, hybrids are not necessarily weaker or slower than gasoline alternatives. Some modern hybrid models can even exceed 300 horsepower (such as the Lexus LS 600h, among others), and most any hybrid can still reach any speed you could possibly require in an efficient and stable manner.

Ultimately, if you are considering purchasing a hybrid, you may find that owning one is quite comparable to owning a normal car. You will still have to apply regular maintenance, secure an insurance policy, and even stop for gasoline on occasion. However, the extensive benefits offered by hybrid technology – most notably the combination of battery power and gasoline that is efficient both for the environment and your finances – make these cars well worth exploring.